"Look, Vomit-Boy. We've all been stressed with this whole Amity situation. I've been hanging out with Blake, Ren has Nora, Rubes has been spending all of her time with Penny, and even Oscar has been training with Ironwood."

"Yang, I'm fine. I'm ju-"

"You're right. You're just fine. But you could be doing better. Which is why you're going on a date tomorrow night with a friend of mine."

Tugging at his tie, Jaune Arc leaned against the street sign as he fought valiantly to resist the urge to check his scroll again. It had only been thirty seconds, it was still 6:28.

But could he really be sure? Without checking, could he really know for certain that he hadn't drifted off to sleep, or been pulled through some subtle crack in the timespace continuum?

The steam from his breath drifted silently through the snowy evening, mocking him with it's lazy demeanor. Unbidden,his hand drifted to his suit pocket to retrieve his scroll one more time.

6:29

"This was a terrible idea. Why did I let Yang talk me into this?"

How many people did Yang even know in Atlas anyways?

There was Neon Katt, that would be an interesting night for sure. The girl was certainly upbeat, which suited Yang's goal of trying to lift his spirits.

Who else did they know? Penny's old teammate Ciel? The Ace Ops?

"Arc?"

6:30, on the dot.

Two shades of blue met. Rich cobalt and frosty ice, equally surprised at the current twist of events that had led them here.

"Weiss? What are you doing here?"

She outshone him for certain in a dark blue gown covered by a cream shawl, seemingly impervious to the chill in the early evening air.

"The same thing as you, I'd imagine. Putting up with my meddling teammate."

Of everybody Yang could have chosen, he certainly hadn't expected Weiss. That was a ship that had sailed long ago. Hell, it had sunk before leaving the port. Yang herself had been more likely, and with the way she's been lingering around her partner lately, those chances were near nix.

"Regardless, I suppose we should congratulate Yang on her little prank. Shall we head back to the dorms?"

"Actually, I've got something here from Yang."

Slipping the envelope out of the inner pocket of his coat, Jaune held up the supposed 'plan' for the blind date.

"Don't open until she gets there? What in the world is Yang thinking. You don't know what's in here then?"

Weiss regarded the pouch of paper as if it was a live snake, and to be honest he couldn't blame her. The idea of spending an entire evening with someone who used to hold a flame for you, and neither of you knew where?

Especially if Yang of all people had planned it?

The tearing of the envelope revealed two small slips of pink paper which very nearly landed in the snow at their feet.

"Huh. Tickets to some kind of show? What's 'La Rosa e Oro'?"

Silence greeted him, and Jaune looked up from the paper to see that Weiss appeared… faintly green?

"Are… you okay?"

"I'm sure Yang means well. She probably did this for me. La Rosa Is a famous opera show that's currently playing."

The perfect show for the high class young woman then, and it explained the formal attire that he had been instructed to wear. Yang was certainly doing her best to set him up for success.

"I hate Opera."

Or… Maybe not. Damnit Yang

"Well, what should we do then? The show starts in half an hour."

Checking her scroll with a sigh, Weiss rolled her eyes and gestured up the street.

"We may as well go. Those tickets probably cost Yang an arm and a leg and it would-"

Ice crept into Jaune's spine as Weiss whirled on him, eyes narrowed and promising pain.

"Arc, If you ever tell Yang I made that pun, I will end your bloodline."

Miming a zipper motion across his lips, the grin on his face must have betrayed his plans because Weiss held out her hand expectantly.

"Scroll."

"What?"

"Scroll. Now."

Handing the device over, it promptly disappeared to… wherever it was that girls kept their scrolls when they were wearing dresses. Seriously, she didn't have pockets, or a handbag. What kind of mystical magic shi-

"Anyways, as I was saying. Those tickets were likely quite expensive, and I suppose it would be rude of us not to go."

"Maybe it won't be so bad?"

"I've been to dozens of Operas with my family, Jaune. None of them were good."

"But how many have you been to with a friend?"

The question seemed to stun her, and Jaune shrugged as he continued.

"I mean, I've seen lots of terrible movies, but there's something fun about going to a bad movie with a friend. Even if it's just so you can complain together afterwards."

Weiss was silent as she contemplated the idea, taking long enough that Jaune was almost certain she was going to reject him.

"Okay."

"We could always go to- wait, what?"

"I said okay. Let's go to La Rosa."

Holding out one arm, Weiss rolled her eyes as she gestured up the street.

"You at least look like a gentleman. Let's see if you can act the part as well."

Act like a gentleman?

Act?

Jaune Arc had seven sisters. He was the epitome of the perfect gentleman, and to suggest anything less was a personal insult to the entire Arc clan.

"Very well, Miss Schnee. Please allow me to escort you to the opera house."

~La Rosa e Oro~

The mistake of assuming that Weiss would enjoy opera aside, Yang had certainly tried her best to give them a pleasant date. Seating with a good view, and rather quiet. The balcony seating was almost empty aside from one other couple, and they seemed far more interested in each other than the show.

Weiss had been silent since they took their seats, her occasional glances at the entwined couple betraying the nonchalance she had tried to project.

Settling in as the lights began to dim, Jaune felt his eyes begin to droop.

'If nothing else, I might be able to get a nap out of this at least.'

Violins.

The hair on Jaune's arms stood as a shiver raced through his body, raising goosebumps. Every ounce of tiredness fled his body as the music softly rose up from the orchestra.

This burst of energy had nothing to do with the music, however. Jaune was much more interested in the head of white hair gently leaning against his shoulder. Every slight movement as she breathed being relayed to him by a newfound hypersensitivity.

The next two hours were criminally short.

The final chords wound down, and polite applause echoed throughout the hall as the lights came back on.

The other couple had snuck out halfway through the second act.

Jaune hadn't heard a single word of any of the songs. Before Weiss could even ask, Jaune struck first;

"So, what did you think? Was it as terrible as you expected?"

Weiss' smile was unreadable as she stood from her seat with a small stretch. It caused the gown she wore to shimmer in the light, and Jaune couldn't help but be amazed by how natural she looked here. Nobody else that he knew could look so perfectly in place amongst the columns, chandeliers, and oil paintings that lined the walls here.

"I guess it wasn't quite as terrible as I had expected. It was… nice, to be with a friend."

Friends.

That's right, they had gone as friends.

The pounding in Jaune's chest certainly told another story, and his tie felt much tighter than it had at the start of the night.

Yep. He was 100% over Weiss. No lingering feelings there.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely famished. Would you like to grab some dinner on the way back to the academy?"

Before Jaune could even answer, his stomach announced it's presence with a roar resembling that of an Ursa.

"Maybe a little?"

Gods, that giggle lit up his soul like pure sunlight. It wasn't even fair. Like a bolt from the blue, Inspiration struck, and Jaune couldn't help but grin.

"I think I know a place, let's go."

~The Dirty Spoon~

"You have got to be joking."

Jaune stood, arms spread outside of the restaurant. Fluorescent tube lights illuminated the picnic benches outside, and the paint on the door was scratched and peeling.

"Weiss, have I ever led you astray before?"

"You've never led me anywhere, and now you're trying to lead me to food poisoning. I think I see a raccoon literally ordering food in there."

Waving off her snark, Jaune opened the door.

"Come on. Marrow showed me this place, said he came here all the time when he was a student. You've gotta try the chicken pot pie."

"What in the world is a chicken pot pie?"

"Tell me you're joking right now. You've never had chicken pot pie?"

"If it's served in places like this? No. I've certainly never had chicken pot pie."

They looked more than a little out of place, dressed for a night brushing elbows with the upper echelons of Atlas. Comparatively, Jaune could count at least four different types of plates on the tables of the diner, a hodgepodge of tableware and cutlery obviously gathered over the long lifespan of a family run eatery.

"Just two tonight, dears?"

The warmth radiating off of the woman at the front counter was nearly enough to fight off the bitter cold of the snow outside as Weiss and Jaune stepped into the diner, shaking the snow from their hair.

"Yes ma'am, just us."

"Well come on in then, I'll get you a table."

The diner was nearly empty, the evening rush having already ended. Only a few lone patrons dotted the counter, along with a man in a booth who appeared to be narrating something to himself.

"Here you go. Anything I can get you for starts?"

"We already know what we want actually. The appetizer sampler to start please, and then two of the chicken pot pies."

As soon as the waitress was gone, Weiss rolled her eyes.

"A sampler? Why so many?"

"Well, you said you hadn't tried the pot pie because it was served in 'places like this' so I figured you probably hadn't tried lots of things. Time to broaden your horizons a little."

As their food was brought out, Weiss' nose was assaulted by the smells of fried onion, spicy chicken, and hot cheese.

"I feel like I'm going to regret agreeing to come here."

~The Long Walk~

"I regret every decision I've ever made that led to this point."

Piled on a park bench up the road from the restaurant, Weiss and Jaune groaned as they held their distended bellies.

"I can't believe we ate that much. What kind of monsters are we?"

"I blame Ironwood and all of the training we're doing."

Weiss was silent for a moment. Just long enough to make Jaune begin to wonder if he had offended her in some way.

That's when he heard it.

It started softly. So softly he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. It quickly built with an unmatched fervor however that left him speechless.

brruUUURRP

Stunned, Jaune could do nothing but stare at the girl...no. The young woman who had just belched in a way that had shaken the bench they sat on.

"Bravo."

"I swear, Arc. Bloodline. Ended. Remember it."

"Y'know Weiss, it's getting late. We should get back to the dorms before Yang gets any funny ideas."

"Oh gods. She was right wasn't she? I'm never going to hear the end of this."

Now that was enough to pique his interest.

"Oh? In what way?"

"I needed this. A night off, I mean. A night away from my sister, and the team."

"Yeah, Yang pulled the same card on me. Said I'd been cooped up too much lately. I mean, I get out! I was just hanging out with FNKI the other day."

"Jaune, that was two weeks ago, and it was a scheduled training match in between missions."

"It still counts."

"No wonder you and Ruby get along so well. You're both utterly hopeless socially."

"Yeah well, you just spent the whole evening hanging out with me, so which of us is the real loser?"

"Don't you know that the Schnee Family is heavily invested in community outreach programs where we help those less fortunate than us?"

"I'm a charity case now, huh?"

The words were meant in jest, but something about them tickled Jaune's insecurities just right.

Weiss had never been interested before, so-

"Why now?"

"What do you mean?"

Gesturing aimlessly to the night around them, Jaune continued down the street, unable to meet her eyes.

"All of this. Going to the show. Playing along when I dragged you to some low class restaurant. Back at Beacon-"

"We're not at Beacon anymore, Jaune. These last few months have been… So much has changed, I don't think any of us is the same person they were back at Beacon."

A chill wind gusted through the street sending flurries of snow dancing through the air, and Weiss clutched her jacket closer to her skin to ward off the bitter cold.

"Even just these last few weeks working with the General. Seeing Mantle, the effects of what we're doing. It just feels-"

A weight around her shoulders cut off Weiss train of thought, and her eyes widened as she felt the warmth of Jaune's jacket soak into her skin.

"You'll be cold, you idiot."

"Me? Nah, I'll be fine. We're only a few minutes from the Academy anyways."

Rolling her eyes at the machismo, Weiss sank into the jacket gratefully. It was plenty big enough to cocoon her, and the fabric was still warm from his body heat. The subtle smell of cologne wasn't entirely unpleasant either.

Their journey would be finished in silence, pointedly ignoring the handful of academy students that loitered near the dorms, gaping at the sight of Weiss Schnee out on a date.

All too soon, they would arrive at the door to team RWBY's assigned dorm, and Weiss leaned against the wall.

"Tonight was… nice. Thank you, Jaune."

"Yeah, I guess it was. Maybe next time we need a break from… all of this, we could do it again?"

"It's a date."

Giggling at the flush on the blonde's face, Weiss made her decision before she could change her mind.

"By the way, here's your scroll back."

As Jaune reached out for his scroll, Weiss deftly snagged his hand and pulled the tall boy- 'Tall man', she mentally corrected herself- down to her height.

Before he knew what was happening, there was a soft pressure on his cheek, and then the door was slammed in his face.

On both sides of the door, blue eyes closed as they quietly leaned against the wall.

'Oh. Wow.'

Two weeks was much too long to wait for another break from training and missions.